The Easy Allies Podcast

In an early episode before our Thanksgiving break, we gobble up the biggest turkeys and their biggest mistakes from 2021. Also, Kojima gives an LA studio another shot, Sony prefers selling retail PS5 games and not making plates, Forza 5 gets first place on Game Pass, and woe are the ads for the Amico. 00:01:10 - Corrections 00:03:38 - Starring Role 00:06:47 - Biggest Turkeys of 2021 00:24:51 - Kojima’s new L.A. studio 00:33:31 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:38:32 - Sony’s PlayStation patents 00:43:27 - PlayStation Retail vs Digital 00:45:55 - Forza Horizon 5 records 00:53:13 - Intellivision Amico woes 00:55:26 - Also This Week 01:02:48 - Game: Top 3 of Top 5s from Top 10s 01:10:34 - L&R - Mechanics worth revisiting? 01:12:31 - L&R - How many console icons can you list? 01:14:21 - L&R - A new solution for color blindness 01:16:43 - Time For Bets 01:19:52 - Closing Go to http://upstart.com/easyallies to find out how Upstart can lower your monthly rate! Go to http://getquip.com/allies to get your first refill free. Get 50% off your first 5 orders of $50 or more when you download the Postmates app and use code “EASYALLIES.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Game Awards nominations have landed and it’s our job to have opinions about them. Also, Rockstar Games and rock star CEO Bobby Kotick are under fire after some questionable business decisions, Xbox celebrates its 20th with online Halo, and we measure our hype for the surprise Dragon Ball: The Breakers and the often-leaked MultiVersus. 00:00:41 - Corrections 00:02:25 - Starring Role 00:05:27 - Game Awards Nominations 00:19:44 - Dragon Ball: The Breakers 00:26:23 - MultiVersus 00:38:12 - Halo Infinite Multiplayer Beta 00:51:31 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:55:27 - GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition 01:13:07 - Bobby Kotick under fire 01:23:18 - Xbox 20th Anniversary 01:34:58 - Also This Week 01:41:15 - Game: Mario vs Zelda 01:46:06 - L&R - Overwhelmed by new content 01:48:18 - L&R - Good product placement? 01:53:08 - L&R - A game host for the Game Awards 01:55:51 - Time For Bets 01:59:36 - Closing Go to http://hellotushy.com/easyallies to get 10% off and free shipping. Go to http://expressvpn.com/allies to get 3 months free on a 1-year package. Visit http://joinhoney.com/allies to get Honey for free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A lot of projects pulled for big wins this week. SteamWorld is going third-person, League of Legends starts another colorful media blitz, Spider-man tries to save the Avengers, and the Tomorrow Children march on to their own beat. 00:01:05 - Corrections 00:02:56 - Starring Role 00:05:19 - SteamWorld Headhunter 00:14:44 - League of Legends updates 00:31:23 - Spider-man and Avengers 00:38:13 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:43:30 - Genshin Impact merch rules 00:57:19 - Tomorrow Children is back 01:04:54 - Also This Week 01:12:49 - Game: Sales are better now than ever! 01:20:55 - L&R - When games break immersion 01:25:23 - L&R - Are NFTs and the Metaverse fads? 01:34:57 - L&R - Why call it “Shin Megami Tensei?” 01:41:50 - Time For Bets 01:45:06 - Closing 01:46:24 - Forza Horizon 5 Bloodworth Race Bet Go to http://hellofresh.com/allies14 and use code allies14 for up to 14 free meals AND 3 free gifts! Go to http://betterhelp.com/allies to get 10% off your first month of BetterHelp. Go to http://imperfectfoods.com and use code ALLIES to get 20% off your first 4 orders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s been a week of weak announcements. Hangar 13 stops developing Volt, Microsoft and SEGA team up in the cloud, Skydance is making a Marvel game, FF Tactics might be getting remastered, and Facebook is mostly now Meta. 00:00:48 - Corrections 00:01:45 - Starring Role 00:05:51 - Hangar 13’s Volt 00:15:18 - Microsoft and SEGA 00:25:46 - Final Fantasy Tactics Remaster 00:36:08 - Skydance and Marvel 00:42:26 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:45:12 - Facebook is now Meta 00:55:08 - Activision/Blizzard updates 01:06:57 - Also This Week 01:13:23 - Game: Middleware Multiple Choice 01:16:32 - L&R - I think I hate video games 01:28:41 - L&R - Ever walk away from a challenge? 01:34:38 - L&R - Ever overcome the impossible? 01:38:08 - Time For Bets 01:41:35 - Closing Go to http://upstart.com/easyallies to find out how Upstart can lower your monthly rate! Visit http://joinhoney.com/allies to get Honey for free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sony sneaks in a State of Play before the end of the year, and Niantic believes Nintendo’s Pikmin can get people walking. Also, Halo Infinite finally details its single-player campaign, Grasshopper joins Netease, and Blizzard is rethinking Blizzcon among many other things. 00:00:46 - Corrections 00:04:02 - Starring Role 00:06:54 - State of Play October 00:32:03 - Pikmin Bloom 00:40:22 - Halo Infinite Campaign Overview 00:55:29 - A Word From Our Sponsors 01:01:29 - Grasshopper joins NetEase 01:05:52 - Blizzcon 2022 canceled 01:18:12 - Also This Week 01:22:40 - L&R - Horror Returns or Retires 01:29:10 - L&R - Name your horror adaptation 01:31:44 - L&R - A game to cure what ails you 01:33:55 - Time For Bets 01:37:59 - Closing 01:40:17 - October 2021 Producer Credits Go to http://hellotushy.com/easyallies for 10% off plus free shipping! Go to http://getquip.com/allies to get your first refill free. Get 50% off your first 5 orders of $50 or more when you download the Postmates app and use code “EASYALLIES.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Uncharted movie trailer blows up the big screen and rumor has it a new Splinter Cell is in the works. We weigh our anticipation and revisit DC Fandome, that double-sided Animal Crossing Direct, and the best selling games of September. 00:00:56 - Corrections 00:02:22 - Starring Role 00:05:24 - Uncharted movie trailer 00:14:26 - New Splinter Cell? 00:24:24 - DC Fandome 00:34:03 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:40:11 - Switch Online Expansion Pack 00:52:22 - Animal Crossing updates 00:56:38 - September NPDs 01:05:33 - Also This Week 01:14:20 - Game: Lost in Translation: Taiwan 01:17:22 - L&R - Good gaming horror 01:24:03 - L&R - Horror setting essentials 01:27:57 - L&R - Other playable Bat-family members? 01:30:16 - Time For Bets 01:33:58 - Closing Go to http://betterhelp.com/allies to get 10% off your first month of BetterHelp. Go to http://candidco.com/easyallies and use code easyallies to save $75 on your starter kit. Go to http://imperfectfoods.com and use code ALLIES to get 20% off your first 4 orders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Activision finally takes a proactive stand against cheating in Call of Duty Warzone while the EEOC and DFEH fight over who gets to litigate them. Also FIFA asks EA for more money, Google counter-sues Epic, and even more gaming properties come to the big screen. 00:01:08 - Corrections 00:04:23 - Starring Role 00:08:19 - Call of Duty’s Ricochet 00:32:34 - EA and FIFA parting ways? 00:44:59 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:47:59 - System Shock and other series 00:58:34 - Google counter-sues Epic 01:04:12 - DFEH vs EEOC vs Activision 01:10:02 - Also This Week 01:18:08 - Game: Name That Mario Party Mini Game 01:24:28 - L&R - How long until a game becomes great? 01:31:34 - L&R - Preferred review time? 01:39:49 - L&R - Underappreciated parts of the community? 01:43:56 - Time For Bets 01:47:33 - Closing Go to http://upstart.com/easyallies to find out how Upstart can lower your monthly rate! Go to http://expressvpn.com/allies to get 3 months free on a 1-year package. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The biggest gaming season of the year is upon us, so we pick our favorites from the fall lineup. Also, the Resident Evil movie reveals its CG budget, Sora finally shows up, Ghost Recon ignores its fans yet again, and big-tech has big headaches when Twitch gets hacked and Facebook goes down. 00:01:08 - Corrections 00:03:13 - Starring Role 00:07:51 - Q4 Preview October 00:35:33 - Q4 Preview November 00:55:01 - Q4 Preview December 01:02:37 - A Word From Our Sponsors 01:06:18 - Resident Evil movie trailer 01:17:13 - Sora in Super Smash Bros. 01:28:33 - Ghost Recon Frontline 01:32:55 - Twitch hack 01:40:56 - Facebook outage 01:45:31 - Also This Week 01:52:54 - L&R - Shocking non-gamers 01:56:22 - L&R - Replaying cinematics? 02:01:47 - L&R - Steam Next Fest favorites  02:04:10 - Time For Bets 02:00:00 - Closing Visit http://joinhoney.com/allies to get Honey for free. Go to http://hellofresh.com/allies14 and use code allies14 for up to 14 free meals, including free shipping! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sony and Netflix go shopping for new studios that make us wonder what projects they have in mind. The Tokyo Game Show brings in exciting news from Capcom and Xbox, while Microsoft opens up to third-party storefronts, and the Activision/Blizzard case is over all of a sudden? 00:01:17 - Corrections 00:04:53 - Starring Role 00:07:56 - Sony buys Bluepoint Games 00:17:33 - Netflix buys Night School 00:26:17 - Xbox TGS ‘21 Showcase 00:32:51 - Tokyo Game Show 2021 highlights 00:38:05 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:41:47 - Microsoft and third-party storefronts 00:44:42 - Activision/Blizzard settlement 00:49:40 - Also This Week 00:56:40 - L&R - Top 6 Sony studios 01:05:12 - L&R - Did EZA pen “Shadow Drop?” 01:07:09 - L&R - Closely-related franchise surprises? 01:08:37 - Time For Bets 01:12:31 - Closing 01:14:23 - September Producer Credits Go to http://betterhelp.com/allies to get 10% off your first month of BetterHelp. Go to http://getquip.com/allies to save $10 on a quip Smart Electric Toothbrush. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week is about playing demos and surprise remasters on the Switch while we keep laughing at or crying about the Super Mario movie cast. Also, THQ brings a batch of old franchises new life, Quantic Dream might be making a Star Wars game, and Titanfall 3 is not not happening 00:01:07 - Corrections 00:03:03 - Starring Role 00:06:23 - Super Mario Movie Cast 00:22:27 - Nintendo Direct Announcements 00:44:08 - Nintendo Direct Updates 00:59:27 - A Word From Our Sponsors 01:03:59 - THQ Nordic Showcase 01:09:39 - Quantic Dream Star Wars Game 01:18:26 - Titanfall 3 hype 01:25:15 - Also This Week 01:30:35 - Game: Touhou or No Bro! 01:34:19 - L&R - Outside resource help? 01:38:03 - L&R - Average completion percentage? 01:41:49 - L&R - GOTY anti-spoiler preparation? 01:43:47 - Time For Bets 01:46:37 - Closing .Go to http://upstart.com/easyallies to find out how Upstart can lower your monthly payments today. Go to http://candidco.com/easyallies and use code easyallies to save $75 on your starter kit. Go to http://hellofresh.com/allies14 and use code allies14 for up to 14 free meals, including free shipping! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices